Title: Opportunities for Talented People with Physics Training
1Opportunities for Talented People with Physics
Training
Mechanics Scholars LuncheonTexas AM University
- David Toback
- Department of Physics
- Texas AM University
Phone 979-845-1179 E-mail toback_at_tamu.edu http/
/faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/
2Good news and Bad news
- Good news
- You have been identified as being in the top 2
of all physics performers in Physics 218 - You get a free lunch
- Bad news
- You clearly have the talent and the right stuff
to get further training in physics - You have to listen to me give a pitch on why you
should take advantage of the significant
opportunities available to you if you continue
with training in physics
3Outline
- We asked you if you had questions
- What were your questions and comments?
- Answers to your questions
- Answers to questions you didnt even know you
wanted the answer to
Warning This may be more blunt than you wanted
4Your questions Comments
- All the comments/questions centered around some
common myths - Job
- If you have a physics degree, you can either be a
professor or a high-school teacher. Right? - The only thing you can do with a physics degree
is research in physics. Right? - There are no jobs for people with a physics
degree - Money
- The salaries for people with physics degrees
arent good - Uhmm Is it any fun?
- What do professors DO anyway?
- Ive heard about some cool physics things but
they arent relevant to the real world - What are the research areas?
5- Lets talk Jobs and Money first since, frankly, I
think that is what most of you would need to hear
about anyway before we get to any of the other
stuff - After Ive convinced you not to worry, then we
can talk about the fun stuff
6High School Teacher or a Professor only? No!
Whoever told you that had no clue!
7No jobs?
- Lets get this straightthe unemployment rate for
people with physics degrees is historically below
2 which is well below the national average
8Ok what kind of job?
- Depends on what kind of degree you get lets do
them one at a time - Bachelors
- Ph.D.
9Ok Lets say I get a bachelors then what?Most
people go on to get advanced degrees, but many
get jobs right out of college
Highest degree attained by physics bachelors 5 to
8 years after graduation
10Ok What do they do with their bachelors degree?
11Whos going to hire me?Companies hiring people
with physics degrees in Texas
Advanced Micro DevicesAlcatelAllstate Insurance
CompanyAlpha Sim Technology, Inc.Avant!
CorporationBall Semiconductor, Inc.Boral
Material TechnologiesCamp, Dresser
McKeeCompaq ComputerControl Systems
InternationalCypress SemiconductorDRS
Technologies, Inc.Fairfield IndustriesHelena
Laboratories CorporationInsurdataKellogg, Brown
RootKelly Scientific ResourcesLaw Office of
Robert SwaffordLitton-TASC, Inc.
Litton-TASC, Inc.Lockheed MartinMilsoft
Integrated SolutionsMobilestar
NetworkMotorolaNational InstrumentsNational
Semiconductor CorporationNortelPGS
TensorRadiant PhotonicsRaytheonReltec
CorporationSercel, Inc.Sony SemiconductorSouthw
est Research InstituteTechnical Alliance
RecruitersTraas Ionics CorporationUnited Space
AllianceVerizon Wireless
12A Yup!!!
Q Is the money any good compared to other
things I might do?
13What about a couple of years down the road? What
will I be doing then?
14Lets say you get a Ph.D. Will that improve your
earning potential?Yup!!!You can do physics or
applied physics
15If I get a PhD what kind of money will I end up
making long term?VERY Good money whether you
stay in the field or not!
16Other questions..
- More years of school? How am I going to convince
my mom to pay for that? - Believe it or not, in graduate school your
tuition is paid for you - Even better you are often PAID a salary to take
classes and do research! - Compare to law-school which is about 200k in
loans
17- Switching topics
- Do physicists do anything useful or interesting?
- Yes The whole reason for doing physics is that
its the most interesting thing in the world to
do!
18What are the cool things physics research have
produced?
- Power Nuclear, Solar, Hydro, Fusion(?)
- Semiconductors (chips for computers, DVD players,
video games etc) - Superconductors
- Lasers
- Radar
- Medical imaging (MRI)
- Optical fibers
- Magnetic Devices (VCR tapes)
- The Internet
- Lots more
19What are the interesting physics areas?
- Current Research areas
- Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology (relativity
and the study of the origin of the universe) - Condensed Matter Materials Physics
- Atomic/Laser Physics
- Nuclear physics (whats inside the nucleus?)
- Particle physics (whats inside a proton?)
- String theory/Theory of Everything (what are
particles made of?) - All of these use Quantum Mechanics which is also
kinda neat
20Interested in Undergraduate Research?
- Physics department has a long history of award
winning undergraduate research in many areas - Applied Physics
- Atomic Physics
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Physics
- Nuclear Physics
- Particle Physics
- Quantum Optics
- String Theory
- Coming soon Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
http//www.physics.tamu.edu
Scholarships available to the types of students
who do well on Challenge Exams -)
21Keep in Touch!
- Interested in a physics degree? Minor? Double
major? Applied physics? - Pick up a Department Brochure
- Contact the undergraduate advisor Dr. Glenn
Agnolet (no charge!) - Phone 979-845-2836
- E-mail agnolet_at_physics.tamu.edu
- http//www.physics.tamu.edu/
22Good Luck on your finals!
23- Extra slides on some of the research we do here
at the - Physics Department at Texas AM University
24A Theory of Everything
String Theory, Grand Unified Theories, Theory of
everything
25Ocean Temperature Profile
Remote Laser Sensing
26DNA Sequencing
lab-on-a-chip using nanotechnology
27High Tc Super-conductors
structured 1,000 A cable for Bi-2212
28Characterization at the Nanoscale
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy e.g. an atomically
flat surface of GaSb/InAs
29Supersymmetry Experiments
- Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) and CMS at
the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN - High energy frontier Big toys
- Searching for Supersymmetry, the Higgs boson
Yes thats a person!
30Applied Physics at Texas AM
- Physics is crucial to many important advances
- Computing (classical and quantum)
- DNA sequencing and other biotech areas
- Laser Remote Sensing
- Magnetic Devices and Data Storage
- Nanotechnology and Sensing
- Optical Technology
- Superconductivity (low Tc and high Tc)
31Fluorescence from laser cooled ions
32The Cyclotron
One of two University based Cyclotrons in the US
33Slow Light
Welch Group Velocity of Light can be reduced
34Quantum Mechanical Foundations
Fry, Walther Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Experiment
based on atoms
35Collinear Raman Generator
- A new light source to study new physics
- Extension of EIT ideas to molecular systems
- Photoionization with single-cycle pulses.
- Possible extensions of our technique
- studying complicated motion of complex molecules
- probing ultrafast electronic dynamics in atoms.
36Devices based on Molecular Nanomagnets
37Nanomagnetic Sensing
Teizer Micro- and NanoSQUIDs